Lighting for Ikea Detolfs cabinet?

[TREE]

I picked up my first Detolf Cabiney final get something on display vs having them away in storage. Im really happy with the case. I think I will pick up more in the future.

I picked up ikea lighting set for 20 bucks. I have a few issues.

• lights keep on falling off the shelves. Currently hanging at side now.
• Trying to use foam to plug up door cracks but door doesn't close right.
• lighting kit wires,wires,wires, wires, has anyone found a good way to hide the wires?
• glass shelves aren't sitting correct so I'm going to get some rubber house for the full length hope fully that will fix everything.

Anyone one have tips? I did a search but basically everyone just saying to a detolf case and lighting kit nothing else.

-Dan

 

[Rusty85]

I bought a pack of the dioder lights a while back, they were horrible! The adhesive did not stick whatsoever and the lights constantly kept falling off the top. I'm going to go with the Nickel Plated single lights next time, they have a spot for screws and look pretty nice.

 

[Luke0312]

I've found the dioder to work fine, did you clean the glass/top before applying? I haven't had any of mine come loose. If they continue to fall, clean the surfaces, then use the 3M double sided tape (exterior version is probably the strongest).

For the wires, pull them taut either directly towards the back or at a 45 degree angle to a corner, then straight down. On my expedit shelf, I pulled them straight back and to the back of the shelf and used adhesive backed velcro (the soft side) as tape basically, to hold them onto back of the shelf. You can see the wire running from the light to the back if you get down on the floor and look up, but from the front of the shelf you can't see the wires. What I'm describing/doing probably doesn't make sense without seeing it though. The biggest thing is pulling the wires tight, if they are loose they're going to look sloppy, since you can't fully hide them on the glass.

If all the shelves are a bit off in the same direction, the fasteners on the top and bottom that screw to the metal shelf stands can be used for slight adjustment. Loosen the top and tighten the bottom, depending on which way they need adjustment.

Bottom line, the detolfs are around $65, so it's not a high end item. They don't fit together flawlessly, so they might need some slight modification. They are a great deal though, since I haven't even found tempered glass cut for that cheap.

 

[kruleworld]

i've found led strips work fine IF you can get them to stick. in this case, they did

 

[Psammead]

Rusty, the problem with the single ones is that you can only realistically install one at the top. This doesn't work that well as by the time you get down to the third shelf you might as well have not bothered with a lighting solution. The Dioder ones do work well you just need to clean the glass prior to attaching them but can always replace the tape if necessary, Ledberg doesn't work too well as it's a continuous strip but I'm guessing you have Dioder. As for hiding the wires you could use some cable trunking and some more adhesive pads but Detolf is not meant to be a high end unit so you may have to compromise somewhere. I did and ended up installing the round Dioder into the cavity of the Kallax/Expedit squares with the help of a hole saw instead.

One thing I don't understand is how the door isn't shutting properly. I know that they're not the easiest thing to assemble but I've built dozens of these and the only time the doors didn't shut properly or shelves weren't straight is because I made a mistake somewhere, usually not tightening the screws well enough or not having the glass panels in properly. It's worth checking as glass isn't a stable material and even though it's safety glass it's still a pain to clear up.

 

[Luke0312]

Also, just saw this thread: http://www.therpf.com/f9/ikea-detolf-cabinet-upgrade-233867/?highlight=detolf

The background provides something that can hide the wires completely on the back of the cabinet. If you don't like the solid black background, you could use a printed image, poster, etc. from the film. I've seen listing for detolf background images on ebay. Though I gotta say, I had never thought of a solid black background on the detolf, but from Derekm88's pics, I think it looks very good.